Mark Jackson on coaching for the future: “I have no time for that”

Interesting back-and-forth with Mark Jackson at his pre-game presser, keyed by Larry Riley’s suggestion to Marcus Thompson II that it might be time for the Warriors to start looking to the future.

I didn’t think Jackson would love that type of focus away from the now, and it sounds like I was correct.

He took this job in order to win with this core group–especially Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry and David Lee–and he’s not about toa bandon that premise now, even if it doesn’t look so good.

“I’ve never bailed out in my life and I’m not going to start now,” Jackson said.

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Jackson bristled when the Chron’s Scott Ostler asked if maybe rookie Jeremy Tyler could get some more minutes soon, and said there was no way it’d happen over Andris Biedrins.

–Interestingly, Biedrins has flu-like symptoms and won’t play tonight’s game vs. DeAndre Jordan and the Clippers, which means Ekpe Udoh gets into the startling line-up.

–Let’s see how that excellent plus-minus of Udoh’s holds up.

Gee, I think I’ve written some words lately about Udoh needing to get more minutes, haven’t I?

Anyway, we didn’t know that at the time of the press conference, so the questions were more general.

Here’s the exchange…

—–MARK JACKSON, pre-game presser partial transcript/

-Q: Is Jeremy Tyler somebody who might start seeing a little more time–if Biedrins isn’t producing or maybe just to see more of Tyler?

-JACKSON: You mean over ‘Dre? No.

-Q: You wouldn’t want to see more of him?

-JACKSON: Situations will play itself out. He’s going to continue to work hard, continue to practice hard and continue to stay ready. I’ve put him in in situations and felt comfortable good things (will) happen.

But I can’t sit here and tell you he’s going to see playing time coming up. I’ve got two guys at the center position–in ‘Dre and Ekpe–that I trust. They’re doing what I ask them to do.

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Jeremy is a young player that can continue to learn, continue to progress, and he’ll have an opportunity.

-Q: I know you addressed this a little at shoot-around, but Larry Riley did mention that it might be time to look to the future. Do you not like hearing that?

-JACKSON: I have no time for that.

Really, the front office’s job is to look towards the future. So Larry making that statement, whether it’s Larry, Bob or Joe or anybody else, the job is to look towards the future, prepare us to be effective down the road.

My job is to handle the business today. I let my guys know, I have no time to think about a lottery pick or anything that doesn’t have anything to do with right now.

Our goal is to be a playoff basketball team, continue to get better and put ourselves in position to be the team that we hope to be.

-Q: Do you feel you owe that to your players, do you owe it to yourself?

-JACKSON: I’ve never bailed out in my life and I’m not going to start now. I believe that as a team, if you begin to preach that message, then you’ll never get to where you want to get to.

Go through the process. Take some bumps and some bruises and ultimately you’ll get to the place you want to get to and the bumps and bruises will have prepared you for the moment. That’s our mindset.

-Q: Is part of the process to go through the bumps and bruises–play the young guys now so they’re ready later, the way Oklahoma City did it with their young guys?

-JACKSON: Their young guys were the best players. If you get me some young guys that are the best players, they’ll play. It’s not fair to guys that they’re not better than to allow them to play in front of them just to let ‘em play.

There’s plenty time of practice, plenty of time before and after, there’s a beautiful thing called the D-League that can speed up the process.

My guys will have an opportunity when it presents itself, but I’m not going to do it just to do it.

-Q: Would you like to play Udoh and Lee together more?

-JACKSON: They play a good amount together. Ekpe comes in for Andris pretty much the first substitute off the bench, most of the times. So those guys have a good stretch of playing together and I think they can be very effective.

I think at the end of the day, Ekpe has been playing very good basketball the last month or so. Really, when we started to go on our roll, it coincided with the way he was playing.

So certainly, he’s a guy I love to see on the floor because of his versatility, his impact on the defensive end and also offensively, he can hit the mid-range jumper and he can post up.

He’s the player now that I envisioned when I took the job. Quite honestly, the first part of the season, he wasn’t playing well. He would be the first to tell you that.

-Q: You don’t always close with Udoh… Has he started to earn some of those end-game minutes?

-JACKSON: We’ll see how it works out. At the end of the day, it’s awfully tough when a team like Oklahoma City’s playing Kevin Durant at the 4, forces your hand because you don’t feel comfortable putting David Lee or Ekpe Udoh on Kevin Durant.

So there’s no way you close a ballgame in that situation (with Udoh).

Memphis, Rudy Gay closing the ballgame at the power forward position. Once again, not an ideal situation to put either one of those guys on him, forces your hand.

And it’s understandable because we’ve had success doing the exact same thing, by going small and forcing other teams to take out some of their depth at the power-forward or center position.

Ultimately, you have to make a decision. And David Lee is our best big man.

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We don’t know how to Tank properly. Two years ago it was Nellie’s stupid record. Last year it was that meaningless 10-win improvement. End of the season wins when we are long out of the playoff race have hurt the Warriors. This year would hurt more than ever. It’s a great draft and we may not even have a draft pick. We are below .500 at home and a terrible road team. We are not a playoff team. PULL THE PLUG already.

WillisReed

Niners in 2012 is 100% correct! I agree with every word. PULL the PLUG! Even if it means cannin Jackson if he’s not on board with playing for the future.

End of the Bench

Tim,

It looks like you’ve been totally vindicated tonight with Udoh’s performance. AND we’re not even through the third quarter

Mr. Amateur

TK, love you hoping on the Udoh wagon. I think the numbers support your take. I’ve mentioned this before here about Udoh, and I’ll state it again – bypassing Greg Monroe for Udoh is still a very open book. Udoh is a massively better defender. Monroe a better scorer, but his numbers are diluted by playing for a very bad team in Detroit.

Love to see Udoh play more. It appears the current trend in Warriorland is to overlook the talent they’ve had burried on the bench (Jeremy Lin, Udoh) because of over valuing their starters.

Mark Jackson is going to really appreciate the next two years before he is fired for never making the playoffs- and we will see soooooooo many stars from the 2012 draft that we coulda/woulda/shoulda had.

But he can be proud that he always tried to win as many games as possible with Andris Biedrins….

Mark Bairos

Jackson is running a tight ship. gSW is in the same class as say TOR in the easy. Their fans (beggers) can’t be choosers

Besides GSW boasts one of the tougher venues to play @

fanfor life

As usual the pitiful W’s have no clue how to get better–
yes Mark, play AB, keep Curry and Ellis, talk about Lee as
your top big man–and finish in the bottom third of the
standings EVERY YEAR!!!!!

http://WarriorsneverLearn Mike

I agree, this is a great draft that has Franchise difference players that the Warriors desperately need. I thought that being a short season the Warriors would see what they have this year(Hello Lin) goodbye Andres and Lee and build for the future, especially with a shortened season. No, they cut Lin, for a center they never signed (Hello Mr. Jordan) The Warriors, will have the 9th,10,11, worst record and that pick goes to another trade for a trade for a PG that is no longer on the team. Wow, same crap, different year, and they will not have a #1 in a deep draft that could make a difference in a few years. Hey on the bright side, Mark Jackson will not be coaching the Warriors in a few years, and he can take that 40 wins 100 loses to his next employer, and pay he gets another coaching gig in the NBA. Mark Jackson, should have stayed with TNT folks. I have given up hope all Warriors moves forever. As the saying goes as things change the more they stay the same.